Child custody battle in Cruise-Holmes split averted?

On behalf of The Hamilton Law Firm, A Professional Corporation posted in Child Custody on Sunday, July 15, 2012

It's looking like what was thought to be a mission impossible can be chalked up as a mission accomplished. Georgia readers will likely already have guessed that what we're talking about here is the divorce and child custody battle of actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

Lawyers for Holmes have announced that the two stars have reached an agreement, including over matters of child custody and support. The action comes less than two weeks after Holmes filed to end her five-year marriage to the "Mission: Impossible" hero. And it comes as something of a surprise to a lot of observers.

In the wake of the filing in New York, there was a lot of media coverage about reports that Holmes and Cruise appeared headed for a significant battle because she had filed for sole custody of their daughter, Suri. Reportedly at the heart of her petition was concern over Cruise's deep connections to Scientology and Suri's exposure to the religion.

Details of the divorce deal haven't been made public and attorneys say they arent' expected to be. Holmes' lawyer simply says that he can confirm that all matters have been resolved.

In a statement issued by Cruise's side, the couple says that Cruise and Holmes "are committed to working together as parents to accomplishing what is in our daughter Suri's best interests." It goes on to say that the couple intends to keep private family issues private, to respect each other's respective beliefs and to support each other in their parental roles.

The suggestion in all of this is that some sort of joint custody arrangement has been made.

While this settlement might come as a disappointment to news purveyors and a lot of their readers, it could also serve as a fine example of how swiftly a divorce agreement can be reached when all parties want things to be settled amicably and with the help of solid legal counsel.

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